To start with a conundrum, Stiff or Wet?
I've noticed that a few recipes entail using a stiff or wet starter. I am on my third starter. The very first, I threw out too early believing the odor to be indicative of rot. The second I ignored the odor and made a delicious sandwich bread but failed to hold back any starter to feed into the next week. The third starter, I doubled and doubled down on the recipe to ensure I had enough to carry on after I made my weekly bread. My starter seems to be a dough of sorts, so I assume I have a stiff starter. Looking back at the sandwich bread I made last week, I had to add more and more water to make the dough less crumbly and more kneadable. So, since I may have figured out how to make a stiff starter, then how would I make a wet starter? Why would I prefer one starter, stiff or wet, over another?